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November 2003
Bureaucracy, Legal, Media, Police Hands up if you know what the first question that is going to be asked Andrew Sant? The question is that easy following Castelan’s release of figures for the previous month’s arrests. With the exception of the continued attacks of the Endon Butcher, all recorded crime over the last three months as resulted in either a prosecution or has been found to be fraudulent. The question is how? No police force (whether public or private) has managed to attain figures even close to these proportions, leading some to question the method of calculation (who for instance decides that a claim is fraudulent?). Still the man at the centre of all of these mysteries is playing his cards very close to his chest. Indeed some have begun to remark that Andrew Sant seems to have a new spring in his step, most unusual! Legal, Media, Police, Street, Underworld The Castelan figures have to be false. No similar sized city in the country has managed to attain a crime/conviction rate of above thirty percent. Either that or Castelan have suddenly got either lucky or wise on who’s the name behind everything in the city. These figures have to be wrong when you begin to factor in Sandernacht and the Daughters of the Desert, or do they merely reflect that Castelan know who is responsible, but aren’t willing to act. Finance, Industry, Police, Politics Rumour control, Andrew Sant has apparently had a major falling out with the board of GAOM over the manner in which Castelan is being run. Far from his not meeting targets he has begun to exceed them, which may cause problems next year when they come to secure funding from the local authorities. However whatever the problem Andrew Sant is still laughing, as the increase in efficiency (which in truth may not be the one hundred percent the company claims) means that no company could fire someone so successful for fear of setting bad precedent. Health, High Society, Media Have you seen Andrew Sant recently? Whilst many have noted he seems to have a spring in his step, his body language is also indicating that he may have a lot more to deal with than even the most well informed of us could know. However, he has seemed to lighten up in the presence of cameras, whilst previously the most that could be hoped for was a terse “No comment”, those attempting to gain a few words from the man on the latest crisis to hit the city find that he is a little more forthcoming if time permits. Occult, Street ' Andrew Sant is not a man. I’ve seen is real face, but I don’t want to see it again. Vexed and hateful, it bored into my very soul, telling me what I should do. I’m telling you whatever he is he isn’t up to no good! The Late Great “Sid the Shreiker”, Hanley Town Centre. '''Finance, Industry, Legal, Media, Police, Politics ' GAOM have been prevented from buying the Evening Sentinel by local politicians who fear that by gaining control of the local media, the company they will be free from adverse commentary upon its actions. However the ruling is being challenged by GAOM, who state that they have not broken any monopolies rulings, or any similar legislation, and that by blocking the purchase the local government is performing an illegal action. Further complications have caused confusion following Sean Bowden’s declaration that Castelan (a subsidiary of GAOM) were involved in the attack upon the Sentinel offices, for which the late Susan Willis was blamed. All parties have since returned to their respective lawyers to ascertain the truth of the situation before further action is taken. 'Media, Police, Politics ' Sean Bowden has begun to release details of the information he intends to release early in December that will “Once and for all destroy the reputation of Castelan and its grip upon the city”. The tape, supposedly given to him by the late Susan Willis, details Castelan operatives entering the offices of the Evening Sentinel and opening fire upon its journalists and print staff. No one as yet been able to collaborate the existence of the video (or whether the event in fact took place) but, unsurprisingly, Castelan (and its parent company GAOM) have fiercely denied the allegations stating that it was “An inevitable result of such a high-flyer falling from grace”. 'Health, Occult, Politics ' Susan Willis was indeed in possession of a tape when she entered the Women’s Refuge in Stafford, but was reluctant to hand it over for fear that it would be listened to by others. Why then she choose to bequeath it to Sean Bowden (despite his involvement in her recent release from custody) remains to be seen. No one now knows the whereabouts of the tape, and Sean Bowden certainly isn’t letting on, having had it put under a twenty four hour guard by an unknown benefactor. So it seems that everyone will have to wait to see its contents on the night, if it exists of course. '''Street, Underworld Sandernacht has reputedly taken an interest in the welfare of Sean Bowden, supplying around the clock security for him. Whether this is true remains to be seen, as the rumour was reputedly started by Castelan (who have a definite reason to try and discredit him as an individual). Even harder to believe is the rumour that the Daughters of the Desert have reputedly made a truce with Sandernacht not to attack any individuals involved in the protection of Bowden (although it is assumed that all other targets are fair game) following their recent conflict with Castelan over reputed smuggling of explosives. If this is true, woe be tide anyone who decides to make a name for themselves by going after Sean Bowden. 'Media, Police, Politics, Underworld ' Sean Bowden has been classified an “Untouchable” by a number of parties following his recent comments. On one side are the groups keen to see the information released in order for it to show Castelan in their true light and thus lead to their subsequent removal from the city. On the other is a group aware of the potential repercussions of this information, who do not wish to see Bowden “martyred “ for a cause that runs contrary to their own. Thus Bowden continues to skirt along a razors edge, either to dangerous to live, or to dangerous to die depending upon your point of view. 'High Society, Media, Police, Politics ' Considering the fact that everyone and his dog seems to have an opinion on Sean Bowden, neither Castelan nor GAOM have yet to release an official statement regarding his recent allegations. Whilst numerous “unofficial” statements have been recorded (for the most part unprintable and certainly of a negative capacity) no one seems to have been drawn on the matter. Not even Andrew Sant, despite is increasingly media friendly profile, has commented, leaving all the local journalists to speculate on the truth of the issue. But with all the major players involved it’s sure to mean a volatile political climate over the Festive Season. 'Bureaucracy, Finance, Police, Politics ' GAOM’s “Festive Fun Day” continues to take shape with details of ice shows and firework spectaculars beginning to emerge. GAOM have stated that their will be an increased Castelan presence on the streets that weekend, but are keen to point out that this is required for the safety of public following reports of the re-emergence of G8 Suppress in the city. Even this fact has done little to dampen the spirits of the public who seen keen to make the Christmas go off with a bang this year. 'Finance, Industry, Media, Police, Politics, Transport ' GAOM’s plan to buy thirty unused support helicopters from the British Army has fallen through, despite the best efforts of Crimson Jihad (sic). The group had managed to raise the necessary finance to fund the project, but the deal was blocked at the last minute when neighbouring Police forces stated that the purchase would result in a “No Fly Zone” policy around the city. GAOM are reputedly looking elsewhere for a source, as they are keen to mobilise much of the force by air (and are also willing to put in the infrastructure around the city to manage such a venture). 'Politics, Street ' G8 Suppress cannot possibly be active once again in the city, the group disbanded some nine months ago following the death of Steven Thomas. It seems that the upper echelons of the group figured that their was no way they could continue to be treated as a serious political force following the actions of Thomas, and that it was far more productive to disband and reform under a new name. This fits in with the statements of the group at the height of Thomas’s actions, and their public condemnation of the events at the time. So the question remains, who have Castelan got in their sights? 'Media, Police, Street ' “The Samurai” continues to make a name for himself across the city, although not all of the publicity is good. Indeed, the individual (no true identity as yet been established despite detailed profiles being established) continues to be the second most wanted individual on Castelan’s list (the first being the Endon Butcher). However, rumours have begun to emerge that “The Samurai” wanted by Castelan is not the true “Samurai”, but instead an impostor of some kind (although what such an individual would gain from this remains to be seen) out to discredit the true “Samurai” in order to turn public opinion against him. No one knows the truth of the matter, but all that seems sure is that as long as sightings continue to make the front page, papers will continue to sell. 'High Society, Media, University ' Want to get your picture (or story) in the local media? Don’t bother with the normal channels, just go into your local Dixons and ask them to play the video for you. That’s the approach that was taken by three budding journalists in the area recently. Unable to get a foot in with the local papers and television stations, they decided that the best approach was to walk into a local television shop under the pretence of buying a video and get the staff to play a “test video” for them. The three minute segment got such a reaction that it was covered in local media the same night leading to a new slogan of “guerrilla journalism”. 'Health, Media, Police, Street, Underworld ' The Daughters of the Desert have had a hard month. First of all one of their main warehouses for the manufacture and distribution of milk was destroyed in a Castelan Raid (although little was apparently discovered about the manner in which the drug is manufactured). Secondly, Castelan continue to target them for supposedly trying to smuggle explosives into the city (a crime they vigorously deny). So where does this leave the group? Well there’s still a hell of a lot of “Milk” out there on the streets (although prices have begun to rise), and they still command fear in their territories. However, whether they’ve missed their chance to actually be in a position to actually take on Sandernacht is another story altogether, as they would seem neither to have the cash or the police backing (and lets not pretend that Sandernacht doesn’t) to even begin that task. 'Church, Media, Police, Politics ' It’s been a quiet month for the Endon Butcher. Whilst previous months have seen body counts in the mid teens, the last month has seen a marked drop in the number of killings to only one family this month. The local community continues to live in fear however, with many of the activities centred round the local church which seems keen to give shelter to all those who desire it. Meanwhile, Castelan continue their policy of stopping all vehicles entering the area for random checks, although this still seems to have been of little avail.